


Through the Ages

by sarsa



Category: Naruto
Genre: Death, Drabbles, F/M, Fluff, Freeform, Mainly focused on Kakashi/OC, Multi, Romance, Smut, Warnings May Change, but some Jiraiya/OC
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-09
Updated: 2017-05-16
Packaged: 2018-10-30 00:48:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10865577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarsa/pseuds/sarsa
Summary: A collection of short stories and drabbles with two original characters of mine."It's love, I think... that keeps us going in the end. My mother died for it. I suppose I'd be ready to die for it too."





	1. Drabble One - Back To Konoha.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a collection of shorts and drabbles concerning two of my original characters for Naruto. Here's a small drafted bio for each of them as many of the drabbles aren't really fully connected realized stories. And yes some of this may come across Mary Sue-ish but hey, fanfic is here to be enjoyed and the freedom that goes with writing it. :P  
> Again these drabbles are a lot of freeform writing and loosely connected, so they may end at a weird spots.  
> Rini: Jiraiya's wife. Met at the Academy and later married. They had one daughter, Sayu. Murdered shortly after the Second Shinobi War by enemies of her husband. Despite her quiet demeanor she was a strong willed woman, and secretly loved the more perverted nature of her husband. Not much is known about her now, Sayu has very little memories of her growing up, and Jiraiya finds it too painful to speak of her.
> 
> Sayu: Jiraiya and Rini's only daughter. After her mother died, Jiraiya left the Village in an attempt to separate himself from his daughter as to protect her from any enemies that may try to go after her. Even on the occasions he would return with mission details, she rarely saw him leading to her resentment of him when she was older. Asked by Jiraiya to look after her, Minato is as an older brother figure to her and she admires him greatly - his later death devastating her.  
> She was close to Kakashi as a child, sympathizing with him and the empty home he grew up in after the suicide of his father. They were later married shortly after the Nine Tails Fox's attack and before she left on her mission to defend the Leaf Village from the outside.  
> She was at one point captured by Orochimaru and experimented on, resulting in her DNA being mixed with the Uchiha clan, and one Sharingan eye.  
> She's bubbly and loud around friends and family, but secretly hides immense guilt at the deaths of her mother, Minato and Kushina. Due to Kushina's influence on her growing up - she too has a hidden temper one that both her father and Kakashi secretly fear.

It was daunting to be back in the Village after so long. She only really came back once a year - and on very rare occasions she deemed it necessary to bring back information sooner rather then later. This was one of those times, when the information was just simply too important to stay away.

She opted to bypass the normal entryway, jumping up top the arch leading into the village and then jumping down onto a nearby roof to overlook the village she always missed in her heart.  
"Same old Konoha..." she murmered, looking past the houses, the gentle breeze ruffling her blonde hair. She glanced down, looking down at the people walking past, noting with a small smile a familiar silver haired shinobi - his head buried in the same well worn orange book he always had. The book itself would annoy her, how he could read that filth she would never understand, but somehow seeing him with it gave her a sense of familiarity anyway. Some things never changed. With a smirk, she gracefully leapt off the roof landing behind him quietly. She waited a moment, to see if he had noticed her... and he hadn't. She stifled a giggle behind her hand before tiptoeing her way behind him, kunai dropping into her hand.

She crept up, slowly raising the kunai before stumbling back suddenly, startled as the shadow clone before her poofed away.  
She grimaced, feeling the cold steel of someone else's kunai now at the back of her neck, and she let out a stiff laugh.  
"How did you-" she began to speak when he interrupted.

"Do you really think even with how much long you're away for, I'm not still attuned to your chakra? It's impossible for me not to notice it."

And suddenly the cold steel was taken away, replaced by his warm arms embracing her tightly. She relaxed into him, the comforting feeling of his arms, his scent, his everything surrounding her. It was good to be back, wasn't it?

"Sayu..." He breathed her name from beneath his mask, and his breath tickled her neck making her shudder with happiness.

"Kakashi... I should've known better I guess." She smiled, turning around to face him, placing a small kiss on his masked lips, "Even when I think you can't see me, you always find me, huh?"

* * *

"You know," Kakashi pushed his plate away, quickly pulling his mask up over his mouth, "It's funny, I heard your father was in town as well currently..."

He heard the crack before he saw it, chuckling slightly at his wife's reaction to the news - her chopsticks splintered in her fist.

"What?!" Her eyes glittered with annoyance and, yes even anger after all these years. Inwardly he cringed, noting the similarities between her and a certain red-haired kunoichi who had taken her under her wing so many years ago.   
  
"Sayu, calm down. I'm not even sure it's really him. I didn't see him myself and-"

"Well." She slammed her fist down, looking at him with a grin that made him laugh nervously, " _Only **one place** to look, really._ "  
The words came out as a statement, but he could feel the threat behind them. Despite himself, he laughed at it. She never really changed did she? But he knew he should at least attempt to quell her rage.  
"Sayu-"  
  
But she was gone, and he let out a sigh, "No time to even spend with your husband, huh..."

* * *

_"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOOOOOOOING?"_  
  
Jiraiya had attempted to look to see who was (rightfully) yelling at him, but it was too late. The only thing he saw, briefly was the bottom of a sandal as it landed directly onto his face, knocking him over and leaving him reeling.   
  
"H-hey...Pervy Sage? You alright!?" Naruto jumped up, concern and annoyance written over his face, looking to see if the older man was okay from whatever attack he had just taken... and who exactly had jumped from the shadows to kick his new sensei in the face?  
  
He looked over at the assailant, his eyes widening in shock. It was a young woman that stood there, standing tall and breathing heavily, her blonde hair draped over one shoulder, her one visible eye staring directly at the twitching Jiraiya with disdain.  
  
"It's one thing to indulge in your own perverted nonsense, but how dare you get some kid involved!" The woman pointed an accusatory finger at him, as Jiraiya slowly came too.  
  
"Just who the heck are you, lady?! I know this guys a pervert and all, but he was just getting around to actually teaching me something!" Naruto yelled in frustration, "Come on!"  
  
"Naruto, it's alright. Calm down." Jiraiya sat up, taking a moment to stretch and feel the bump now growing on the side of his head. She had kicked him good, and he was lucky to not have blood dripping down his head.   
"This, would be my daughter... Sayu." He let out a sigh, finally allowing himself to look over at his daughter with a sheepish smile on his face.   
  
"Daughter?" Naruto looked at him with confusion, "How did a Pervy Sage like you get lucky enough to even have a kid?"

Jiraiya offered him a pointed exasperated glare, "Nevermind that, kid. Sayu... what are you doing here? Last I heard you never visit the village anymore aside from once or twice a year." he pushed himself up, walking over to her to get a better look at her. 

She scoffed, pushing him away with annoyance, "Some of us actually do work when we're away, father. Not all of us are off gallivanting at every hot spring in the country. I'm here to bring some information to the Hokage, And when I heard that _you_ were back in town as well I of course I had to come find my dear old father so we could  _catch up."  
_


	2. Drabble 2- The Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short drabble taking place during the rescue mission of Sayu from Orochimaru's lair.

She coughed, clutching tightly to Kakashi's clothes. The world swam around her, and she felt as though her entire body was floating. The only way she could stay down was to cling to his arms, and she reached up to touch his silver hair to make sure that he was  _real,_ that he was here, and here to save her from this hell.  
  
"Kaka...shi..."  
  
"Shh, it's alright, Sayu. Don't try and speak."  That was Minato's voice and she struggled to turn her head to see him, trying to lift her hand up to touch him. She could seem him, a blurry patch of yellow hair that burned her eyes so much she could only close them again  
  
"Bi..g brother-" her voice cut off into another wrack of coughs, and she felt the coppery taste of blood come up, and felt it drip down her mouth.  
  
"Sayu... I'm going to get you out of here, Just hold on!" Kakashi's voice filled her ears and she smiled warmly despite the pain, god the pain that was spreading everywhere. Starting from her eye, and spreading all over. It hurt... it hurt...   
She felt them moving, and there were shouts, even screams... It was all she could to shut her eyes, wishing she could block them out. Kakashi's arms tightened around her and she shuddered into his body, trying to close herself off to everything.  
  
"Minato! Over here!"  
  
 _That voice..._  
"Is that her?"  
  
 _That..._  
  
"Is she okay? Is she safe? Is Sayu alive?!"  
  
"F...father..."  
  
She opened her eyes, looking up to a different view for the first time in months - the clear night sky, stars shining brightly. Behind her she could hear the fire crackling, feel the heat coming off it.   
The view was interrupted, as he leaned over her to look at her, to see with his own eyes that she was alive.  
  
"Wha...t are you....doing he...re..." The words came out slowly, but the harshness behind them was still evident, and Jiraiya was reeled back at his daughters words, feeling his heart drop.   
  
"I came as soon as I could, as soon as I found out you had been taken by Orochimaru. Sayu, I'm sorry I-"  
  
She stared at him accusingly with her one good eye, the other shut tightly, blood oozing out from the corners and Jiraiya shuddered to think what was behind the closed lid. If there was anything...  
  
"Shouldn't... have... Kakashi and Minato-"  
  
"You're my daughter-!"  
  
"You didn't save mama... and you left.... what makes... makes you think you could've saved me?"  
  
The words hung in the air, and Jiraiya felt cold suddenly... as though all the blood had been sucked dry from him. His heart didn't merely drop at her words - it felt like it had been snatched away leaving only a hole in its wake.  
  
"You're right..." He said, looking down at the ground, not daring himself to look at her anymore, "I couldn't save your mother..."  
  
She turned from looking at him, to looking back up at the sky, seemingly satisfied at his confession, relaxing slightly in Kakashi's arms.  
  
"I left because I wanted to protect you, though."  
She turned quickly, nearly rolling out of Kakashi's arms coughing from the harsh turn blood splattering down her chin, "You thought...leaving... would protect me? Leaving as a coward that allowed his wife to die, leaving his sole daugher alone?!" The words came out as a snarl, and with horror he realized both eyes were now open - one was the shade of her mother's eyes, light blue and beautiful.... the other - red and full of anger and... god was it..  
  
"Sharingan..." Minato breathed the word Jiraiya could not dare to speak. This is what Orochimaru had done to her?  
  
Without speaking, he didn't think he could, he collapsed forward, his arms outstretched grabbing and pulling her towards him into his arms, and when he did speak, he did not care that his words sounded choked with tears.  
"I left because they would've killed you, Sayu. I.. It was the only thing I could do. So many people who wanted to kill me, and some of them managed to kill your mother. I couldn't, I would not let that happen to you. I wouldn't allow your mothers sacrifice to be in vain. Leaving you behind was the hardest thing I've ever done...But I thought it was the only way I could protect you from my own failings."  
  
She was stunned, her eyes wide as her father embraced her, tears falling down her face, mixing into the blood that was drying.   
  
"But I realize now, that leaving you behind... I couldn't be here to protect you from the threats close to home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the moment where Sayu comes close to forgiving her father. She realizes he realizes his own mistakes in life and what abandoning her meant. Ohp.


	3. Drabble 3 - Marry Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She leaves and he asks her to make a promise to come back

Of course he would be there. Waiting for her. As soon as she switched on the light she saw him, sitting in the window his eyes staring straight at her. He was still wearing the same black clothing as she was, the same clothing they had worn to the funeral.  
  
"Kakashi...I um, didn't expect you to be here."  
  
His response was flat, ignoring what she had said, emotionless as he stared at her from across the room where he sat, "You're leaving."  
  
"I..." She felt her hand drop from the light switch, her body feeling heavy as she struggled to keep her emotions in check, "I have to-"  
  
He was next to her now, in a flash, holding her, pressing her up against him with his arms wrapped around her tightly, "You don't Sayu. You can stay, you're choosing not too."  
  
She let out a choked sob, "Kakashi, you don't understand. It hurts... it hurts to stay here. First my mother... now Minato and Kushina... I-I... I have to be stronger, I have to protect the Village in the only way I can."  
She felt dizzy, like the whole world was spinning and the only thing keeping her up in that moment were his arms protectively holding her to him. She felt sick.  
  
He was quiet for a moment, simply holding her, his head resting on the top of hers, his hands playing with her light hair gently, "Marry me."  
  
"Huh?" She looked up at him, confusion written across her face, "Kakashi why would I-"  
  
"Think of it as a promise..." he said quietly, " _A promise to always come back to me_."  
  



	4. Little Bunny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Jiraiya/Rini short.

When had he first noticed her? Always. He had always noticed her. Her name fit her perfectly - Rini, little bunny. Always there, shyly watching him from the grass.   
She was pretty, he'd give her that. Pretty enough that even as young Genin, his perverted nature hadn't come out to say "Well maybe if she was filled out a bit." as he had with Tsunade. And truth be told, she never did become quite as endowed as Tsunade would one day be.   
  
But he didn't care.  
  
She was beautiful, his little bunny always watching him. But they never talked, and he assumed she didn't like him, much like every other girl in his class. Occasionally she would make conversation, offering him a snack or even offering to let him cheat. But he thought nothing of it. After all - he was just the jokester of the class, a pervert. Girls rarely if ever actually thought of him seriously. She certainly could not feel the same way as he did, her heart skipping a beat when she saw him, thinking about his touch when they handed something to one another... No, there was no certain way she'd feel the same as he did, so he kept his thoughts to himself.   
  
Until that day...   
It was an 8 man mission, and his, Tsunade and Orochimaru's team had been paired with hers. He remembered how she had shown up, seemingly nervous and he wondered why - he knew she was a capable shinobi and the mission wasn't that hard...  
She was the last in the formation, swiftly running just behind him, and he wondered about that too - she could run faster then him any day. When he would sneak glances back at her, she would notice, blushing and looking away quickly.  
They had intercepted their targets midday, and a bloody battle ensued. He had no time to really think about her then... although somehow at the back of his mind he did think about her, worried about her.  
He winced as he felt a kunai strike his shoulder, cutting down deep and spilling blood as he fell backwards, grabbing his bleeding shoulder. He attempted to stand up but fell down just as quickly as a kunai struck his ankle now and he could only grit his teeth, looking at the rival shinobi that merely grinned at him. His wounded arm ached heavily, and truthfully... he could barely feel it, let alone move it to do a defensive jutsu. Wherever the kunai hit - it had hit something important. He closed his eyes, trying to figure out some sort of escape plan when he heard her voice.  
  
"No!"   
  
Her voice was clear, melodic even as it rang out admist the battles beginning to wind down. He opened his eyes immediately, only to see her small body shielding his. He opened his mouth to speak, tell her to get out of the way, that-  
It was too late, and he let out a strangled cry as her body fell back onto him, and he used his one good arm to cradle her.   
  
"Don't worry..." She murmered, "I took care of him..."  
He glanced up briefly to note, that she had in fact killed the other shinobi - he lay in a pool of his blood, countless shurikens sticking out of him, a kunai sticking out of his head. He shook his head, returning his eyes back to her... to have relief flood his body. Only a few shuriken stuck out of her body, and thankfully not in any fatal spots. How foolish she had been, and how lucky she was to have escape mostly unscathed.  
  
"Are you...okay?" She asked quietly, "I was worried I-"  
  
"Shh, I'm fine. You're the one with shurikens sticking out of you everywhere. C'mon if you wanted me to notice you, you didn't have to go this far." He smirked, allowing some of his salacious personality to come through.  
  
She blushed, looking away from him, "I just... couldn't bear the thought of you getting... getting hurt."  
He looked at her in surprise then, feeling his normal quick wit fading away. She... didn't want to him get hurt? But why? Most girls of the girls they knew would relish in seeing the perverted shinobi to be knocked down a peg or two. He thought back to all the times she had been around him... the quiet words, the blushing, the little gifts she'd give him. Slowly realization dawned on him and he looked down at her, opening his mouth to speak.  
  
"Jiraiya! Rini!"   
He looked up, startled and confused as he saw their teammates coming towards them. His words died instantly as she was taken from him to be be bandaged up.

* * *

It was later that night after they had returned that he had gotten his courage up to go visit her. They had both been hospitalized overnight for their injuries, and he figured the sooner the better. So he had snuck out of bed, making his way down the hall to her room. He thought, maybe even hoped a bit, that she would be asleep. He may have the courage to peep in bathing houses but this... he wasn't so sure of himself with what he planned to do. But she wasn't sleeping, not even close. She lay in her bed, reading quietly, the moonlight coming in through her window and lighting up her features perfectly.  
  
He took a moment to look at her, really marvel at her beauty that had always made him weak.  
  
 _"I couldn't bear the thought of you getting hurt..."_  
The words came back to him as he looked at from the doorway where she lay unaware of him. Part of him felt guilty, while it wasn't like his times peeping at a bath house... he felt childish staring at her from afar unable to gather the courage to actually go in and talk to her.  
  
"U-um... Jiraiya-kun? You can come in if you want."  
  
Her voice startled him, how had she sensed him? But he obliged, coming out from the shadows with a sheepish look.  
"Caught me, hopefully you don't beat me like Tsunade does when she catches me."  
  
Rini let out a giggle, closing her book softly, "You don't need to worry, I won't. U-um... but why are you visiting me... exactly? It's pretty late, aren't you tired?" Her brow furrowed as she looked at the bandages covering his shoulder and ankle.  
  
He waved her concerns away, and took a moment before coming closer and sitting beside her bed, studying her closely.   
"Why... did you put yourself in danger like that?" he finally asked quietly, gently touching her bandaged wounds with a hesistant hand, "Why would you... unless you..."  
She didn't look at him, staring down at her closed book, staying silent, her face flushed... trembling. So much like a tiny little rabbit hiding in the grass...  
His hands moved to her chin, gently turning her face so she was looking at him to see exactly what he was about to say.  
  
"I love you too."   
  
She opened her mouth to finally speak, surprise written all over her face. But he only smiled, leaning in and pressing his lips gently against her.   
She instantly relaxed into it, and he felt relieved in the back of his mind. He had half expected her to hit him, but he only felt her lips press against him, could feel the heat radiating from her cheeks as she blushed. With his good hand he gently cradled her face, moving to play with her hair... to push her deeper into the kiss.  
  
When they finally broke, she could only stare at him wide-eyed for a moment before speaking, "Jiraiya, I...I'm sorry I never told you before, I was just nervous and I-"  
  
He laughed sheepishly, bringing a hand up to brush through his hair nervously, "It's okay, truth be told, I never thought someone like you would love a guy like me. I mean... c'mon, you're gorgeous, smart... dedicated. I'm just well..." he shrugged halfheartedly.  
  
She took a moment before speaking, biting her lip nervously, "You're...more then that, Jiraiya. You always love to make people laugh, even if it's at your own expense. And you're loyal too, I see that. You would do anything for Konoha and the people who live here... I admire it. I always have."  
  
"But... what about, you know." He looked at her with slight embarrassment, "I mean, you gotta know about all the tendencies I have."

"You mean how perverted you are?"   
  
He looked at her shocked, surprised she could say that of all things, with a totally straight face, "Well...yeah."

She giggled, and then came the blush he had been originally expecting, "U-um, truthfully... I sort of... like it..." She turned away in embarrassment, trying to hide her reddened face.  
  
"You _like_ it?" He asked in disbelief, "W-what do you mean? I?"

Her face still hidden, and her voice was so soft he had to learn over to make out what she was saying, "I...I like it when I catch you staring at me. Even when you have that look on your face. It um, it..."

"Turns you on?"

She nodded, and it seemed like her entire body would turn red with embarrassment. He chuckled to himself, _Jiraiya I don't know how you did it, but you hit the jackpot!_  
  
He leaned over, placing a gentle kiss on her cheek, "Well, sweetheart... you can expect me to be staring at you a whole lot more."   
  



	5. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One-shot involving Kakashi/Sayu in the first half.  
> And Sayu's promotion to jonin in the second half.

She remembered the first night they spent together. She had been discharged from the hospital and he had been there waiting for her outside her room, wordlessly taking over from the nurse pushing Sayu's wheelchair. Her right eye was bandaged, just as his left one was covered by his forehead protector. She saw his one good eye linger on the sight of the bandages covering her face, and she wondered vaguely what must've been going through his mind. 

He said nothing though on the walk home, other then to ask her if she was comfortable and if she had all her things. His presence was comforting and the atmosphere wasn't uncomfortable, so she simply took the time to enjoy being outside of the stuffy hospital room finally, relishing in the bright sunny afternoon in Konoha.  
When they arrived at her house, he silently opened the door (she had long ago given him keys after all) and helped her out of the wheelchair simply pulling her onto his back and laying her in her bed. She had protested, saying that she wasn't paralyzed that she could still walk, but he ignored her protests, and only tightened his grip on her. As soon as she was sufficiently tucked in he turned to leave, only to have her voice call out to him quietly leading him to pause.  
  
"Please don't leave, Kakashi."  
  
She heard him laugh softly at that, "I'm not, don't worry. I need to put your things away though. Just rest, Sayu."

While she intended on keeping her eyes open until he returned, she soon felt them drooping giving in to her own exhaustion that she didn't realize she had. She could hear him however, rummaging about putting her things away. And as soon as she heard him sit down next to her bed, she immediately forced her eyes open to assure herself he was there.

"You're reading one of my father's stupid books?" she asked, attempting to sit up to get a better look at him.  
  
His eyes didn't even leave the page as he put forward an arm to stop her, "They're actually quite good. Lay down, you still haven't fully recovered and you need rest."  
She pouted, obliging his request and laying back down against the pillow, peering at him from the top of her blanket.  
It was quiet again for a moment, the only sound was him flipping the pages in his book when she spoke again.  
  
"I'm cold..."  
He looked up briefly, saying nothing but marking his spot in his book and getting up. He left her room for a moment, and once he came back she felt another blanket drape itself across her body.  
"I didn't want another blanket..." she mumbled, looking down at the blankets covering her with annoyance.  
  
"Then..." He looked at her with an annoyingly blank expression.  
  
She gave him her best pleading look from beneath her blankets, "Will you lay next to me?"  
  
She heard him sigh, watch as he mulled over her request in his mind, her heart pounding.

"Sayu you're still not well and-"  
  
"Please? I don't wanna be alone."  
  
"I'm right here, right next to you. I told you, I won't leave."  
  
"It's not the same..."  
He sighed again, and she closed her uncovered eye tightly - thinking she had lost the battle and not wanting to admit defeat. Moments passed, the only sound she could hear was some ruffling and then she felt the bed dip down, the blankets pulled back as he slipped in next to her - an arm turning her body to face him so she could curl up in his arms. He had taken off his ANBU armor, leaving only his masked undershirt and pants, which made her smile.  
"Happy?" he asked quietly, his face buried into her hair, one hand gently stroking her head.  
  
She nodded, nuzzling her face into his body, finally allowing her body to relax. She felt him stiffen at the movement momentarily, but then quickly relax, but felt his grip tightening on her.  
  
"What about... um, your ANBU duties?"

"You're my duty currently. I was tasked to protect you during your recovery. Well..." he paused, "I volunteered and Minato sensei indulged me."

"Oh, so I'm just a-"  
  
"You're not just a mission, Sayu. You know that. I just want to make sure you're safe until you've recovered. That's my priority. I won't lose you."

Her thoughts wandered to Obito and Rin and her heart stung for him, wondering just how much heartbreak one man could take. His words were strong,  _I **won't** lose you,_ but she could hear the pain hidden behind them.  
  
"You didn't, you saved me, and I'm here because of you, Kakashi."  
  
"I know." He whispered, but she knew his thoughts were plagued with what if's. As much as she needed his closeness, the warmth and comfort his presence gave her, she felt as though perhaps he needed it just as much. As if to confirm her theory, she felt him take in a deep breath, allowing his body to relax against hers but still kept her firmly kept against him, using one hand to gently rub her arm as if to constantly remind himself she was  _real_ and still in front of him.   
  
_I love you..._ she thought, before finally allowing herself to drift off to sleep.  
  


* * *

She was fully recovered within a few weeks, and suddenly he wasn't there anymore. She woke up one morning and instantly knew he had left. She had expected it of course, but it still hurt... his presence had staved off any nightmares she was bound to have, and moreover she knew that with his duties to the ANBU, she'd be lucky to see him for such a long period of time again.  
  
She was however lucky to be woken up by Minato who grinned happily despite her sleepy and grumpy demeanor, and who she had to admit was much better at getting her out of bed in a timely manner. She and Kakashi spent many mornings simply curled in each others embrace until they got too hungry to continue.  
  
He had cooked her breakfast, just as he had when she was a child and when they sat down to eat he began to tell her just why he had made a personal house visit.  
  
"You've been cleared to resume your responsibilities," he said noting with amusement just how quickly her appetite had come back, "And I have a personal mission I'm assigning you."  
She looked up from her food with benign interest, but didn't say anything, opting instead to continue to shovel food into her mouth.

"Kushina and I are expecting a child."

She choked, her chopsticks dropping with a clatter, "You're...wait... WHAT?"

He laughed at her surprise, "Yeah, you heard me. Your big brothers going to be a dad."

She scoffed, picking her chopsticks up to stuff a bite of her food into her mouth, "Poor kid," she said with a smirk, "With you two as parents he doesn't have a chance."  
  
"Hey..." Minato looked at her with an expression of hurt crossing his face, "We're not that bad."  
  
"I'm only joking," She said softly, then looked at him with a small smile, "I'm happy for you big brother, you deserve it. And I know you guys will be the best parents. From personal experience."  
  
He looked at her with a look of shock at her words, "What? What do you mean personal experience?"

She looked down at her half eaten food sadly, pushing it around with her chopsticks and halfheartedly shrugged, "I mean, you were the biggest influence on me growing up. Who knows how I would've ended up without you. It's not like my father did much after mom died..."

Minato was silent, staring at the younger girl thoughtfully before speaking, a smile spreading across his face, "I can only hope that our child will grow up to be just as strong as you, Sayu... Kushina and I would be lucky to have a kid like you." He leaned over, giving her an affectionate pat on the head, smiling at her proudly.

She blinked, surprised by the sudden touch and pushed his arm away, scoffing to hide her embarrassment "Come on big brother, don't get sappy. Besides, what's this got to do with this mission you have for me anyway. Do you really need to brag this early in the morning?"  
  
"Oh, right." Minato cleared his throat, his expression quickly turning serious, "I'm assigning you to guard Kushina, alongside one other shinobi. As you know, Kushina is the jinchuriki for the Nine-Tails... that alone makes her a target. However the seal is weakest during childbirth - all the more imperative she's closely guarded during this time. We're keeping her state a secret, but we can't be for certain that it won't get leaked that she's having a child. You're an ideal candidate for guarding her - it wouldn't seem out of the ordinary for you to be around her all the time, and of course as her former student she's quite fond of you. Judging from the training you've done during recovery to master control of your Sharingan, I have no doubt she'll be safe in your hands."

"I see... well of course I would never say no. When will I start?" She pushed her bowl away, and looking at Minato expectantly, lacing her hands together behind her head, a smirk playing on her face, "And who's my partner?"  
  
"You'll see who your partner is soon enough, for now - go get ready and head over to our house, Kushina will be waiting for you. I'm sure he'll make contact with you to go over any other security measures. He'll be handling things from the outside, you'll be guarding her more directly." Minato stood up, getting ready to leave before pausing and turning back to face her, "One other thing..."  
  
He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket, and placed it on the table, sliding it over for her to read, "Congratulations. It's been a long time coming, I think."  
  
She looked at him in confusion, before looking down to read the paper he offered. The words were simple and codensed reading only - _"URGENT. Shinobi known as SAYU is herefor promoted to the rank of JONIN by orders of the FOURTH HOKAGE, effective immediately."_

"Normally we'd give you a little bit of a ceremony, but I know you're not really the type for that sort of thing... and we don't really have the time for one anyway, I hope you don't mind."  
  
She didn't say anything, simply staring at the paper until it became blurry with tears filling up her eyes. Her hands were balled into fists on her lap, as she put her head down to hide her tears.  
  
"H-hey are you okay?"

She wiped furiously at her eyes with her sleeve and nodded, "Who recommended me..."  
  
"Huh?"

"To be promoted to Jonin - a shinobi must be recommended by another higher ranked shinobi. Who recommended me?"

Minato smiled at her, crossing his arms, "Jiraiya."  
  
She looked up at him in shock, allowing him to see the tears that had fallen from her eyes, "My father?!"  
  
"Mm." Minato nodded his head, "Before he left again. He came in person and made quite the compelling case for you. When Kakashi heard your father had put in the recommendation, he put in a good word for you too. I was hesitant at first... after all between them and myself, we're a tad bit biased but..." he smiled, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, "I know you've worked hard to become the ninja that you are, and you've never relied on anyone but your own skill. Really, the choice to promote you was obvious."  
  
She sniffled, taking a moment to compose herself, "I promise I'll make you proud, Lord Hokage."

He laughed at that, "It always sounds weird when you call me that, Sayu. I'll always be your big brother, okay? And you've already made me proud. Me and your father. Anyway, I do have to get going now. Report to Kushina immediately."  
  
And with that he was gone, leaving Sayu to sit only for a few more minutes at her table reflecting on her new status before quickly getting up to get ready for her mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized I kind of fudged the timeline a little bit (i.e Orochimaru was found out for his experiments AFTER the nine tails attacks.) and to be honest, I don't particularly care as it's fanfiction and none of this is canon, and fudging events and what order they happened in is fairly common in fanfiction so. #yolo Also, just judging from how the timeline DOES span, I feel Kakashi (and thus Sayu) would be older then he is canonically. I would say they are both 16/17 during the nine tails attack. ALSO a note in regards to Sayu's use of the sharingan, because Orochimaru's experiments on her - she was imbued with Uchiha cells enabling her to eventually learn how deactivate her sharingan. She keeps it bandaged, covered for a while before she's fully capable of handling it. Though, due to the fact she was given it under false terms, out of respect to the Uchiha clan she rarely uses her sharingan unless in immediate danger or the situation truly calls for it. 
> 
> Also yes! I don't think Kushina was ever actually a teacher for genin students... but in this she was - and she was in charge of Sayu's team. (both she and Sayu had a habit of sneaking to peek on Minato's team, and Kushina was the one who encouraged Sayu's crush on Kakashi. Sayu considers Kushina her "big sister" as much as she considers Minato her "big brother.")


	6. Mourning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Rini's funeral, Jiraiya requests Minato to take care of Sayu after he leaves. Minato obliges - after all... the young girl is his sister, no matter what blood runs through his veins.

Minato looked up at the apartment with a slight feeling of apprehension. Jiraiya had told him that he'd be leaving shortly after the funeral and true to his word - the older man had departed on a mission as soon as Sayu had been taken back home safely. He knew that she had been assigned ANBU guards, and he took a moment to see if he could sense their chakra -and it was a faint reassuring feeling to sense at least four posted around the house. He went forward, and opened the door, sliding his shoes off and he flicked on the light switch. Looking around he noted Sayu's sandals were placed carefully next to what he assumed had been Rini's sandals. Everything was eerily in place - none of the dead woman's things had been disturbed. He knew that after the place had been cleaned up... Jiraiya painstakingly making sure every bit of evidence of his wife's murder gone and had made sure everything was in order for when Sayu returned. He tore himself away from noting the oddness and took a deep breath to calm himself before speaking.

"Sayu?"

Silence. For a brief moment he panicked, before he heard the soft unmistakable sound of sobs. He followed the noise to the living room, finding the young girl with her legs pressed up against her chest, crying and clutching a picture of her mother to her chest.

"Sayu..." he immediately knelt down to his knees to be on the same level as the crying girl, and wrapped comforting arms around her. The moment he hugged her she buried her face against him, the quiet crying quickly turning in hysterical sobbing. He wasn't entirely shocked by her reaction, he had noted just how quiet she had been during the funeral. She had been far cry from the rambunctious girl he knew. She merely stood next to Jiraiya, a small figure clad in black, refusing to even hold her father's hand, stoically refusing to meet anyones glances. She had been bundling up all her emotions, refusing to let others see her weakness. And now, all alone... it finally came cascading out.  
  
"Sshh... It's alright. Go ahead and cry, Sayu. It's fine." He tightened his arms, as she continued to cry, her attempts at speech being choked back by more crying. His heart ached for her, they were not blood related but Minato considered the young girl as much his sister as any one person could. Jiraiya had been more then simply a teacher, he had become a paternal figure in Minato's life, and he was grateful the familial love both Jiraiya and Rini had offered him. And Sayu had completed that love, and in his eyes she was the little sister he had never had, and he showered her with all the attention of a doting brother.

He did not quite know how long they sat there, and he soon felt his limbs beginning to stiffen but he held her tightly against him until he felt her sobbing subside.

"I know you're not better, you won't feel better for a long time, but are you okay for right now?" He finally asked, gently pulling her away to look at her face, and with one hand slowly dabbing her face dry. She nodded, rubbing at her reddened eyes before collapsing against him again in apparent exhaustion.  
"Your father asked me to look out for you while he's gone." He said quietly, gently stroking her hair, "If you want to stay here that's fine, but you can come stay with Kushina and I as well, if you ever feel lonely."

She nodded, her body occasionally jerking with a sniffle, her small hands gripping his jacket tightly, willing herself not to cry.

"And we expect you to go back to school soon, can you handle that? You need to focus on graduating to become a Genin - it'll help take your mind off things if you're busy training."  
  
She finally spoke at that, looking up at him with teary blood-shot eyes, "Will I be on your Genin team, big brother?"

He smiled at her reassuringly, "Well, I don't know for sure if you will be or not... but even if you aren't - you can come visit anytime so long as your sensei doesn't mind."  
  
She looked back down, seemingly satisfied with the answer, "I want to... get stronger." she said softly, "I need too..."

Minato frowned at the weight behind her words, opting to hug her tightly, "You will be... don't worry. Now," he looked down at her smiling, "Do you want to come stay with Kushina and I? At least for the first few days?"

Sayu thought for a moment, then slowly nodded her head.   
"Good, Kushina was already planning cooking for all three of us!"  
She smiled at him, a slow hesitating smile, but a smile nonetheless, "Thank you big brother..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short drabble, but one demonstrating how close of a brother/little sister bond Minato has with Sayu. Obviously Minato's family isn't really talked about in canon, but he was close to Jiraiya (Jiraiya being Naruto's godfather and also the reason Naruto is named Naruto) so in this fic-verse, Minato was very much taken in by Jiraiya and Rini and treated as part of the family. Jiraiya probably didn't even need to ask Minato to look after Sayu once he left - he would've done so on his own. While he can spoil Sayu - he doesn't coddle her. When he does give her training lessons he doesn't hold back or coddle her - he's actually pretty strict with her. 
> 
> Sayu doesn't make it onto his Genin team (obviously) but she does make it onto Kushina's. 
> 
> The next one shot may be of Rini's death, I haven't decided. I do intend on writing Kakashi/Sayu smut... just need... that... inspiration ~___~ (Although I assure you it'll be great.)  
> Here's a list of one shots I have planned. If there's a specific one that catches your eye, let me know in the comments and I'll put priority on it ^^
> 
> 1\. Rini's death.  
> 2\. Sayu activating her Mangekyo sharingan upon witnessing Minato and Kushina's deaths.  
> 3\. Kakashi and Sayu's first time.  
> 4\. Random Kakashi/Sayu smut that takes place when she arrives back to the Leaf Village before the Chunin exams.   
> 5\. Jiraiya/Rini peeping tom smut.  
> 6\. Kakashi/Sayu fluff - Kushina pushing them out on a date. 
> 
> and more I can't think of off the top of my head.  
> Till next time!


	7. Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She died protecting their daughter. And nothing was quite the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> honestly this was pretty heartbreaking to write. :(  
> tw: violence and death in this chapter.

"La...la la....la..."

Rini smiled at the sound of her daugher singing to herself, her legs swinging as she sat the kitchen table coloring. She was proud of Sayu, newly entered into the Academy and already receiving the praise of her instructors. Jiraiya was sure to be proud, and she knew it'd be only a matter of time before he was boasting to everyone who would listen to him.

"Mama, Daddy's coming home tonight right?"

Rini turned from where she had been chopping vegetables for dinner, noddiing her head, "That's right, you can tell him all about school. He said he'd make sure he was home in time for dinner."

Sayu smiled brightly, and lifted up the drawing she had been working off to proudly show it to her mother, "Look! It's me, n' you... and daddy! And big brother Minato and big sister Kushina!"  
  
Rini smiled at the picture, "Is that you with your headband, Sayu?"  
  
The little girl nodded proudly, "Uh-huh! One day I'll have mine just like you guys!"  
  
"You've got to work hard then." Rini said turning back to her cooking, "I know you can do it Sayu."  
  
Sayu gave her mother a small noise of acknowledgement before turning back to her drawing. Rini smiled to herself, her heart swelling with the love she felt for her young daughter - so eager and driven already.  
  
But...  
Her heart dropped suddenly, the blood in her veins turning to ice - the knife she had been holding dropping with a clatter.  
She had felt a sudden surge of chakra surrounding their home, combined with a killing intent that made her stiffen with a paralyzing fear.

There were at least six shinobi surrounding the house, maybe more... the fear surging through made it hard for her to focus, to sort out just how many there actually were.

It was Sayu's humming that broke her out of it, the girl was too young, and too oblivious to notice the change outside the house - and Rini instantly snapped out of her daze, she needed to protect her young daughter. She took a deep, albiet shaky, breath... composing herself. Whoever they were, whatever they were here for - she would be damned if they harmed her daughter. Jiraiya had promised he'd be home in time for dinner, if she could just hold them off until then... But she had to be quick, and she had to make sure Sayu was hidden, and hope she could keep the girl calm.  
  
"Sayu, sweetie..." She turned, hoping that her forced smile looked genuine, "Let's play a game! Before papa gets home. We can surprise him!"

The little girl looked up at her mother, her expression lighting up instantly, "Yeah, yeah!" She stood up in her chair looking at Rini excitedly, her face a childish expression of excitement; it only made Rini's heart ache.  
  
"Alright... hmm let's see. I know! Let's play hide and seek! It's a vital skill for any shinobi to learn - how to hide without being detected. I want you to go hide from me... but I want you to try and repress your chakra - so it's even harder to find you, okay? I know you can do it."

Sayu thought for a moment, then nodded her head and smirked, "Got it mama! You won't be able to find me! You or papa!"  
  
Rini smiled sadly at her daughter, "I hope not... But Sayu, you need to stay hidden - until I find you or I say it's okay for you to come out. Or if daddy gets home and he finds you okay? Stay hidden." She walked over, suddenly enveloping her daughter in a tight hug and kissing the top of her head, "I love you Sayu... so much."  
  
Sayu giggled, "Mama, stop... I love you too, but I gotta go hide." she wriggled out of her mother's grasp and gave her an embarrassed look at the sudden embrace.  
  
"Alright, alright. Go on." Rini watched her daughter disappear in a flash, not a moment too soon as her sad smile instantly turned into a grimace of pain as she was flung across the room. Picking herself up, she turned to face her attackers, pushing herself into a fighting stance.

* * *

 

She wanted to hum, but her mothers words stopped her.  
_Gotta be totally hidden..._ Sayu thought, _Can't give mama a single hint.  
_  
She pressed her small body down further into the ground underneath her bed, shutting her eyes tightly and did her best to stop her chakra from flowing. Her eyes shot open as she began to hear shouts and the sound of things smashing.  
_Stay hidden, until I say it's okay to come out._  
That was what her mother had told her, but...  
  
Sayu bit her lip, suddenly her body was shaking in fear as she heard the shouting that sounded an awful lot like her mother. Shouting that was sounding nearer... and nearer.  
  
The door flung open, and Sayu's hands flung themselves at her face to silence the gasping cry she wanted to let out.  
  
"Where's your little daughter, huh shinobi? We know you're not here alone... That son of a bitch Jiraiya has it coming. It'll be great to see his face when he sees you and the little brat splattered across your home."  
Silent tears began to run down Sayu's face, as she kept her hands firmly clasped on her mouth. Now she understood this game of hide and seek, and she knew if she let out so much as a single sob they would find her. Find her and kill her. She could make out no less then 5 pairs of feet... and the ones she knew belonged to her mother were dangling as though she was being held up by her throat.  
  
"Never....tell you...."  
  
The shinobi holding her mother let out a grunt, and Sayu saw blood splatter onto the floor and watched as her mother dropped to the ground groaning.  
  
"Bitch...!" The shinobi kicked her mother, and Rini doubled over, her body turning and coming face to face with Sayu's frightened face under the bed.  
  
Her eyes widened at seeing her daughter, her poor innocent daughter hiding just as she was told too, tears running down her face.  
  
_I'm sorry Sayu..._ she thought, tears filling up in her eyes, _I couldn't...  
_  
" ** _HHURGK..._** " She gasped, spitting up blood as one of the shinobi threw down multiple kunai into her stomach - one hitting right above her chest, almost directly in the middle of her throat.  
  
"I guess we'll just have to find the little brat ourselves then, huh? I wonder where she may be. If you're still alive, maybe we'll bring her in here to kill her in front of you..."  
  
Rini shook her head wildly, barely able to speak, "No...o..." Blood was spilling out of her mouth as her throat began to fill with it. Her fingers twitched and Sayu could only stare horrified at her mothers dying body.  
  
"Hurry up and find the brat! Who knows when he'll be ba-!"  
  
The man was cut off, and Sayu finally let out a scream as an explosion shook the house. She covered her ears, now hysterically sobbing underneath the bed.  
  
"Did you really think..." She could her father's voice, but a voice she had never heard him speak in before - one full of raw anger and pain, "Did you really think you would come into my house like this... _and not suffer the consequences_?"  
Another explosion, this time she knew that whoever these people were- they were now outside, firmly planted onto a neighbors rooftop and she could feel the wind coming in through the hole they had gone through.  
  
"Shima... go find Sayu. Keep her safe."  
  
Sayu realized she was still crying, loudly and she watched through blurred eyes her father's feet pass her by, presumably to go finish the men who had... she looked at her mother's body feeling sick - the one who's had killed her mother.  
  
"Sayu dear..."  
  
Sayu glanced over, seeing one of her father's toads hopping towards her. She felt delirious, as though this was some sort of bad nightmare she was having. Any moment she would wake up to her mother's smiling face, and there would be breakfast waiting for her and... and...  
"It's alright, look at me dear. Don't focus on anything else."  
  
Not knowing what else to do, Sayu clasped the toad in her arms and began to sob hysterically. It was no nightmare, it was real - her mothers dead body was only a few feet away. For her part, Shima did not protest - despite how tightly the young girl was squeezing her.  
  
Sayu didn't know how long it took for her father to kill them. One moment she was hugging Shima tightly sobbing, and the next she heard her fathers weary voice calling out to her. She opened her eyes, and saw he was sitting next to her mother... hunched over... crying, calling out for Sayu.  
  
"Pap...a..." she crawled out, letting go of Shima, "Papa! Papa!"  
  
Jiraiya's eyes widened as he saw his daughter crawl out from the bed, dirty and tear-stained but unharmed and immediately grabbed her, wrapping his arms around her tightly to shield her from her mother's dead body, and to hold her as she began to sob hysterically, "Shh, it's okay, it's okay, I'm here, I'm here now Sayu. Papa's got you.  
  
He could say nothing, only praise the gods that Sayu was safe... but looking down at Rini's body made him sick. He was alive but he felt like a piece of his body, his soul had been ripped out. His sweet wife... his little bunny... the one person who had accepted him all his life and who loved him unconditionally - who had given him the daughter he cherished so dearly.  
  
Murdered.  
  
Dead.  
  
_And he hadn't been able to save her._  
  
"I-I couldn't do anything papa..." Sayu looked up at Jiraiya, her blue eyes -  _her mothers eyes-_ filled with tears, "Mama, I couldn't."  


"It's not your fault," his voice faltered, and he swallowed, trying hard to take back the tears threatening to fall, "It's not your fault Sayu..."   
And he hugged her tightly as the Uchiha police force began to arrive, allowing them only to drape a blanket over her - telling them that no - she was in no shape to be talked too. He would do the talking - she needed rest. She felt him carry her somewhere, her mind was blank - she couldn't think straight, she could only bury her face into her father's comforting embrace. She felt him tuck her into a bed, hearing hushed voices, and then the feeling of a wet towel being pressed on her hand and was that - yes it was Kushina offering comforting words as she heard her father talk to big brother Minato by the door.

"Rest now, okay sweetie?" Kushina placed a soft kiss on her forehead, "Minato and I will be here to watch over you."

Sayu's eyes widened, and she opened her mouth to speak, to cry out and she felt tears begin to slide down her face again as she panicked, "But they- mama...!"

"It's alright, Sayu." Minato said, finally coming over to place a hand on her shoulder, kneeling down beside her bed, "You're going to be fine. They've assigned ANBU guards all around the house... nobody can get you. Just get some rest."

"Papa..."

Minato bit his lip, looking over at Kushina who gave him a worried shrug, "Your dad has to go talk to the Hokage, he'll be here in the morning. Just get some rest. Kushina and I won't leave you alone, one of us will always be in here with you."

Her mind fought her body still, but in the end her eyes finally closed... and she finally drifted off to a deeply troubled sleep.


End file.
